PROCESS FOR PRODUCING OXYGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE DETECTING PART OF RESISTANCE OXYGEN SENSOR

摘要

A process for producing a porous thick film of oxide wherein the number of cracks is extremely small, the porous thick film satisfactorily usable as an oxygen partial pressure detecting part of oxygen sensor. In particular, a process for producing a porous thick film as an oxygen partial pressure detecting part of resistance oxygen sensor, comprising providing a raw material of fine particle powder of an oxide including cerium oxide; forming the raw material into an oxide-containing paste; applying the paste onto a substrate by screen printing; and subjecting the substrate with the paste to calcination and firing, characterized in that the process comprises the step of heat treatment for effecting particle growth from the average particle diameter of the powder to a particle diameter of less than the average particle diameter of ultimately obtained thick film; the step of mixing the powder after the particle growth with a solvent; the step of dispersing coagulated particles in the solvent; the step of removing deposits; the step of evaporating the solvent; and the step of mixing an organic binder with the oxide so as to obtain a paste.